Magic World Today
by pfisher63
Summary: A weekly news magazine set in the world of Maburaho, taking place after the events in the last episode.Rewrite in progress.
1. Beginning

It's four in the morning on what promises to be a lovely fall day. A red sports car pulls into the parking lot of a local television station, drives to a parking place and stops. As the door opens a striking woman in a blue fleece suit steps out. While walking toward the studio door she thinks about the upcoming show taping. " So this months show is going to be about a high school student," muses Mina Fujiyama, " that turned to dust and then came back to life. Well, at the very least this shouldn't be boring." With a yawn she reaches for the door and walks inside.

Across the city at the dorm of Aoi Academy an alarm clock goes off. The figure in the bed, Kazuki Shikimori, stirs slightly, mumbles incoherently and promptly goes back to sleep. Quietly his room door opens and Yuna Miyama steps in. "Kazuki, dear, it's time to get up. We have to get ready for the interview." Kazuki opens one eye, looks hazily at Yuna and says," Just five more minutes." Yuna smiles sweetly, then says," We have to get ready early because Kuriko is coming to get us at 7 o'clock to go to the TV station." She steps up to the bed and starts nudging him to wake him more fully. He sits up, stretches his arms over his head, looks at Yuna then replies," Whose idea was this ,anyway?" "It was yours, Kazuki dear" Yuna says. "Remember, you thought it would be fun to be on TV." He slides his feet over the edge of the bed and scratches his head. "Why does it have to be so early in the morning? The suns not even up yet." "I know that," Yuna replies," but we said we would do it when they asked. Now go take a bath while I get breakfast ready." With the promise of food in the future Kazuki finally works up enough energy to get out of bed and start the day.

Having finished in Hair and Make-up, Mina Fujiyama goes to Wardrobe to be fitted for the show. As she walks in the door the producer is having a conversation with the dresser. "So, what should I wear today?" Mina asks. Looking at the list of guests for the day the producer suggests," I think today we need to go conservative but still be appealing. After all, there are only two men and the rest are women." Mina smiles, saying," I get it . Be appealing for the men but not so appealing to put off the women, right?" The producer grins, "You got it. After all, these are high school girls and you are very good looking. I wouldn't want them to be intimidated. With the guys, however, the more you can get to them the easier to get the answers." With that the producer excuses herself and leaves the dresser and Mina to work out the details.

Just minutes before 7am Yuna manages to hustle Kazuki out the door of the dorm. Already waiting outside are Rin Kamishiro and Karei Hirosaki. "Good Morning, everyone." Yuna calls out brightly. "Mornin' " Kazuki mumbles. Karei smiles and replies."Good morning, Mr. Shikimori and Miss Miyama. Don't you two look well this lovely morning." Yuna smiles and says," Thank you, Miss Hirosaki. You look well yourself. Good morning , Rin." Rin looks over," Good morning, Yuna. How was your night?" "I slept very good, how was your night?" "I found it somewhat trying. Shikimori, are you sure this is what you want to do? This is the type of show where they ask what may be some embarrassing questions." Kazuki looks at Rin. " I'm sure it won't be that bad. It's not like there's anything embarrassing about what happened." Rin drops her eyes to the ground and says," While on the outside this may be true what happened was very personal and I'm not at all sure we should speak of it in such a public manner." Putting his hands on Rin's shoulders Kazuki says," If this is something you don't want to do it's alright. You don't have to do it." Raising her eyes to his Rin says," It's something you want to do and everyone else is doing it. Perhaps it won't be as bad as I've worried it would be." Just then a large car pulls up.

Kuriko Kazetsubaki opens the back door of the car." If everyones ready, lets go." Rin and Miss Hirosaki get in."You can get in next to me, Kazuki." Kuriko coos. "I'll get in next, then you Kazuki!" Yuna commands. "Party pooper." Kuriko pouts. Once everyone is seated in the car Kuriko tells the driver to leave for the studio.

Sitting in the back of the car, Kuriko speaks to Rin. " I can't believe you would agree to do this. It's so unlike you. I wouldn't think you would even watch TV much less be on it." Rin looks over at Kuriko," It's not something that I would normally do but Shikimori asked me to. He seems to think it will be fun." Kazuki looks up at his name. " It'll be fun. We get to be on TV like all the movie stars." Kuriko looks at Kazuki," So, your really looking forward to this, huh?" Kazuki turns towards Kuriko and says," You bet. It's something I've never done and someday I'll be able to tell my children about it." Kuriko smiles slyly and purrs," Gee, if I had known it was this easy to get you excited I would have bought a TV station." Yuna begins to fume," Don't even think about it, Kuriko. Kazuki is mine and mine alone. After all, I am his wife." Kuriko glares at Yuna," I still don't accept you as Kazuki's wife, but I will admit that you take good care of him. When _**WE'RE**_ married I'll have to get you something nice." "_**KURIKO**_, don't even talk about marrying my Kazuki. He and I are the perfect couple. We are more alike than not, I'll have you know." " Gee, Yuna," Kuriko says," didn't you know that variety is the spice of life. I bet Kazuki would like some spice about now!" "_**GRRRRR**_..." Kazuki steps in to calm things down."Yuna, Kuriko, please don't fight. We're going out to do something fun. Let's all have a good time and get along. Please." "Well," Kuriko says," I'll agree if just for today she will give the wife thing a rest." Kazuki looks over to Yuna, " Just for today, okay Yuna?" " Well, I suppose, as long as _**YOU**_ remember I'm your wife." "You got a deal." Kazuki says, to which Kuriko says," Then I'll behave, for you Kazuki."

Before long the car arrives at the television station. The group gets out and proceeds into the station. They are greeted by the producer, who shows them to a waiting room. Inside they find Dr. Akai and his sister Shino. Once she has them all seated she begins to explain what is going to happen. "One by one you will be taken to the studio. Once there you will be introduced and Mina will ask you questions. Answer the ones you can and don't be ashamed if you don't know all the answers. Just relax and tell what you do know." They nod that they understand. She goes on," Just so you know, this room will not receive a feed from the studio. We don't want any of the interviews to influence the guests coming up later. Once the interview is done you will be taken to another waiting room where you will be able to see a feed of the people coming after you. Is that all right with everyone?" Again they all nod in agreement. "Then," she says," Dr. Akai, you will be first. If you will follow me." Dr. Akai gets up and follows her out the door.

As Mina arrives in the studio the crew are still putting the putting the final touches to the set. She walks up to the office chair that she uses and takes a seat. Across from her is a more comfortable chair for the guests. The idea being that if the guests are comfortable it will be easier to interview them. It might even make them slip up and say something they shouldn't. So far this year alone she had uncovered the evidence used to prosecute three con artists. While she didn't think this was anything like that it still seemed outlandish, like some kind of school prank. After all, much of what she had read so far just didn't make sense.

As the staff made last minute adjustments to her hair and wardrobe the first guest was lead out. He was a tall distinguished looking man in a lab coat and glasses. As he took his place she knew that this had to be Dr. Haruaki Akai, the school physician at Aoi Academy. It was hard to believe that a man of his appearance would be involved in a prank, but stranger things had happened. Perhaps his close association with students made him somewhat more prone to pull practical jokes. Just then the director called for quiet on the set. Over the loudspeaker she heard," Rolling in 3...2...1..."

:Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Magic World Today. I am Mina Fujiyama, and we have an interesting show for you today. We will be going in-depth to follow up on the story of Kazuki Shikimori, the young magician who used up all his magic, became a ghost and somehow managed to get his ashes back to become human again."

The camera does a close-up of Mina as she continues. "For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the story, let me recap. Kazuki Shikimori is a 17 year old second year student at Aoi Academy, one of the most prestigious private schools for young magicians. This wouldn't be unusual except for the fact that Mr. Shikimori has below average grades and he had a magic count of 8." Mina pauses for effect, then continues," Yes, you heard correct, I said 8. In a world where the average count is around 100 he was way, way below average. So how did he get into this school in the first place?"

As the camera pulls away she goes on. "Simply put, it was his genes. It seems the he is the descendant of most if not all of the greatest magicians in history. While he himself may not be mush of a magic user it is quite possible that any of his children will be among the greatest magicians that have ever been."

"With this in mind, several prominent families sent their daughters to take Mr. Shikimori as a husband. Among those sent were Kuriko Kazetsubaki, youngest daughter of the Kazetsubaki family; Rin Kamishiro, heir to the prestigious Kamishiro family and Yuna Miyama, daughter of the famous scholar. This, however , lead to a series of misadventures that eventually reduced Mr. Shikimori to his ghostly condition."

As the camera comes in tight again Mina says," So that we may understand what happened we have several guests today. Besides Mr. Shikimori and the aforementioned ladies, we also have Chihaya Yamase, a childhood friend of Mr. Shikimori's, Dr. Haruaki Akai and his sister Shino,and Karei Hirosaki; all of whom were involved with returning Mr. Shikimori to humanity."

Mina turns her chair slightly to face the guest chair. " So to begin the show lets welcome our first guest today, Dr. Haruaki Akai. Thank you for joining us today."

The camera goes to Dr. Akai. "My pleasure. I watch your show every time its on."

"I appreciate that. Now Doctor, what is the latest news on the condition of Mr. Shikimori?"

" As of today he is completely human and has be returned to one body."

Looking surprised, Mina says," Uh... did you say one body?"

Smiling wryly Dr. Akai says," Oh, didn't you know? When he returned to human form he split into ten different but complete Shikimoris."

"Actually," Mina said,"that doesn't seem to be in the information that I was given. Why would that have happened? Is this an effect of having his ash returned?"

"Not at all. You see, when someone uses all their magic they turn to ash. This ash then seeks out the people that the person felt affection far and then becomes a part of that person. Thus they are always able to be with the ones they love. When there is a ghost left on this plain it is possible to return their ash to them allowing them to be human again. It carries a price, though."

"What is this price?'

"When the person becomes human again all of their memories are erased, leaving them without a past."

""Did this happen to Mr. Shikimori?"

"Actually, no. He was able not only to retain his memories from life but all the memories he made as a ghost."

Looking puzzled, Mina asks," How was this possible? I mean, according to the information I have there is nothing special about Mr. Shikimori except his genes."

Leaning forward, Dr. Akai replies," In that you would be mistaken. You see, while he could only use magic a total of 8 times, the amount of raw power he could employ was practically without limit."

"I'm not sure that I'm following you."

Pushing his glasses up on his nose, Dr. Akai continues his explanation. "To put it simply, where others may preform magic thousands upon thousands of times Mr. Shikimori could perform 8 miracles."

"So, this somehow lead him to split into a group?"

"Because of the potential of his latent magical ability and given the fact that he cares for all these girls he split so that they wouldn't fight over him."

Still looking somewhat confused, Mina says," I think I understand, but theres only one of him now, right?"

"That's true. Although he meant well it was really confusing for all involved. It took some doing on the part of my sister and myself but we managed to merge him back into one."

Mina examines her notes and then says," Since you mentioned your sister, I have a question about her if you don't mind."

Thinking for a second he answers," Hmm... I suppose I could answer a few about her."

"Very well. Is it true that your sister was trying to capture Mr. Shikimori while he was a ghost?"

"Ahh, you heard about that, did you. I would have to say that the answer to that question is yes and no."

"That's a somewhat vague answer, Doctor. Would you care to elaborate?"

"Honestly its something that I don't understand myself. I believe that it has something to do with our past, but she really doesn't confide in me the way she used to. Not since... "

"Not since what?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just another case we were involved with long ago. Another man who became ash after using all his magic."

"How did this lead to her not confiding in you as before?"

"Uh... I believe I'll let you ask her about that. It really wouldn't be my place to tell you something that is such a private matter for her. We may not see eye to eye but she's still my sister and I do love her."

"I see. Very well, Doctor, would it be all right if we moved on to another subject then?"

Relaxing a little he replies," I would welcome a change, yes."

"I understand that when it became known that Mr. Shikimori was the descendant of so many of the worlds greatest magicians that he became the prize to be won by the daughters of some of the top families in Japan. Is this true?"

Sitting back in the chair he says,"Yes, I would have to say that was indeed the case."

"Well, I've always been curious, how did that information come to their attention in the first place?"

"Why, I made it public."

"You did? How did you know?"

"It is my place to know these things about the students. As for making it public, well, the secret of his lineage was really too big to be kept. After all, we are talking about the worlds greatest magician."

"I suppose. So after the revelation there were these three girls..."

Dr Akai interrupts,"Four, if you count Chihaya Yamase."

Looking somewhat surprised, Mina asks,"I thought she was a childhood friend?"

"Thats true, but one which harbored deep unspoken feelings for Mr.Shikimori."

"But she wasn't after his genes was she?"

Raising an eyebrow, Dr. Akai says,"No, not in the sense you are using, but in the end that could be said for all of them."

With an interested look Mina replies,"Really. So you mean to say that..."

"If you want to know for sure," Dr. Akai says," you'll have to ask the girls themselves."

"Fair enough. Well, Doctor, I want to thank you for being here today. It has been a real pleasure talking to you.

"Thank you. It was quite and experience." Getting up from the chair Dr. Akai gives a little bow and walks out of the studio.

"Well, folks , that was Dr. Haruaki Akai from the Aoi Academy. I'm Mina Fujiyama. We'll be back with our next guest after these messages from our sponsors."

Once settled in the other waiting room Dr. Akai thinks to himself," This looks like it may be interesting after all. Perhaps we may find out just how Shikimori feels for those girls after all."


	2. Guest: Kuriko Kazetsubaki

Opening the door to the waiting room, the producer sticks her head in and announces," Miss Kazetsubaki, if you would please follow me." Glancing at everyone else in the room she gets up to leave. Before she goes out the door Yuna says,"Good luck, Kuriko." Kuriko smiles, saying,"Don't worry , this will be easy."

While waiting for the next guest Mina thinks about what she has heard while her Make-up and Hair are touched up. " So, if I'm getting Dr. Akai right, we may have an interesting relationship story here. Perhaps I should focus on that instead of the prank angle." Just then she notices the next guest being escorted to the set. What she sees gives her a slight shock..Walking in was one of the most beautiful women that she has ever seen. "They were afraid that I would intimidate HER!", she thinks. "If anyone is going to be intimidated its me. She has the face of an angel and a body to drive men mad. If Mr. Shikimori hasn't given in to her there's little chance I'll be able to influence him." With some concern she continues," I hope the other girls aren't quite so attractive."

Once Kuriko is seated, Mina brings back the show from commercial. "Welcome back, folks. In case you just tuned in we are doing an in-depth story about Kazuki Shikimori, the high school student that apparently turned to ash and was able to regain his humanity. With that in mind I would like to introduce my next guest, Kuriko Kazetsubaki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kazetsubaki."

Smiling brightly Kuriko says," Well, hello. It's a pleasure to be here."

"Thank you. So, you are one of the suitors of Kazuki Shikimori. How did you come to be involved with this situation?'

Folding her hands in her lap, Kuriko begins to explain," I received a telephone call from my older sister one morning. She told me what the Kazetsubaki Company researchers had discovered about the lineage of Kazuki. She then told me that the Kamishiro family had been in contact with Rin about making him her husband. Since our families have somewhat of a rivalry going she suggested strongly that I should beat her to him. Of course, we had no idea that Yuna Miyama had already arrived to stake her claim."

"I see. So all of these families wanted to bring Mr. Shikimori into their fold, is that right?"

"True. I mean, while it didn't seem Kazuki himself wasn't much of a magician it was likely that his children would be and the family that got him would rise in social stature."

Looking somewhat puzzled, Mina asks," Did Mr. Shikimori have any idea why he was so popular all of a sudden?"

Smiling , Kuriko answers," No, he had no idea. Not a clue. To tell the truth, I think he was a little overwhelmed."

"I can see how he would be. Going from the bottom rung on the social ladder to having three girls fighting over him. If the others are as lovely as you its perfectly understandable."

Feigning humility, Kuriko purrs," That's so sweet of you to say."

"Not at all," Mina says," it's only the truth. There is something that I'm having trouble understanding, though?"

"Whats that?" Kuriko asks.

"If all you were after were his genes, why did you still stay by him when he became a ghost? As far as I know ghosts don't have genes."

Taken aback, Kuriko stammers," Uhm...well...you see...I mean...uhh...that is...what I want to say is...I'm not sure I want to talk about that."

"It would help us to understand how Mr. Shikimori was able to regain his human body, that's all. You were instrumental to this accomplishment, I just want to know what the reasoning was behind your actions, thats all."

Looking slightly relieved, Kuriko says,"Well, I was only trying to make it possible to get his genes later. After all, you can't get genes from a ghost and all my efforts would have been for nothing if I hadn't helped him get his body back."

That's true," said Mina," but didn't you have to work with your rivals in order to save him?"

"Yes, but it was necessary in order to achieve my goal." Kuriko said. "You can ask anyone, I'll go to great lengths to get what I want."

Mina thinks for a second, then"That makes sense. So you actually actually have no feelings for Mr. Shikimori except for securing your family's social position, is that correct?"

Looking slightly perplexed, Kuriko says," Honestly...I do like him. He's a good friend. That won't stop me from getting his genes, though."

"A friend, huh. You're sure thats all. Didn't Mr. Shikimori attend your families Cinderella Ball with you this year?"

"Yes, What of it?"

"The information I have says that despite your families expectations you spent all of your time with Mr. Shikimori. You didn't associate with anyone else in attendance."

"That's true," Kuriko said," but you have to understand, I was trying to return the portion of his ash that I carried within me. I thought it would be easier if we were alone in an intimate, romantic situation. I needed the time to make it happen."

"I understand that ones ashes seek out the people that the person felt affection for in life. Did you realize he felt that way about you?"

Blushing slightly, Kuriko answers," I knew that he was always nice, no matter what embarrassing thing I may had done, but I didn't realize he had real feelings for me until later."

I see," Mina said. "That brings up something I've been wondering about. Exactly how do you go about returning the ashes to a ghost?"

Kuriko, looking surprised, asks," I'm not sure I understand the question?"

Mina explains," When his ashes scattered, they went to four different girls, correct?"

"Thats true." answers Kuriko

"Then, each of you in turn brought his ashes back to him. What did you have to do to return them? How does that work?"

Thinking, Kuriko said," Well, as it was told to us it could only happen when the person carrying the ash was able to truly open their heart to the person the ash had belonged to."

"I see," Mina says," then you were able to open your heart to Mr Shikimori?"

"Well, uh, I guess so," Kuriko said, blushing deeply, " but what does that really mean, anyway?"

Giving Kuriko an understanding look, Mina said," It seems to me that it means to abandon all the defenses someone sets up to protect themselves from pain and humiliation. Sometimes the hardest thing a person can do is be truly honest about how they feel for another person. Especially with the person the feelings are for."

Trying to appear haughty, Kuriko says," If thats the way you see it, who am I to argue."

"Are you trying to be evasive, Miss Kazetsubaki?"asks Mina.

Still blushing, Kuriko says,"Why would I be doing that?"

"I really don't know." says Mina. "Perhaps you are still having trouble coming to terms with the truth. Never mind that, what do you think is going to happen now that Mr. Shikimori is once again human?"  
"I still intend to get his genes, that's whats going to happen. After all, I've put a great deal of time and effort in getting what I want and I will not be denied!"

"Okay, then." Mina says. "How do you think your rivals will react to this statement?"

"They know what I intend." Kuriko says. "After all. They have the same goal as I do, don't they?"

"Actually," Mina says,"according to the information I have, Miss Miyama and Miss Yamase seem more intent on capturing his heart, not just his genes."

"If thats what they want," Kuriko says," they can have it _**AFTER**_ I get his genes."

"Then you have no interest in winning his heart, is that what your saying?"

Blushing again, Kuriko says," Well...I mean , in so far as it would make getting his genes easier then, yes I would like to win his heart."

"Miss Kazetsubaki, are you sure thats the _only_ reason you want his heart? While I believe that you want his genes, there seems to be something else lying just below the surface, hidden from the rest of the world."

Eyes wide, Kuriko looks quickly around her. Then she looks back at Mina and says quietly," Before I answer that question, can I ask something?"

Curious now, Mina replies," Of course, if it will make you more comfortable. What do you want to ask?"

Kuriko whispers," C-can Yuna hears this?"

Surprised, Mina says," No, she can't. Shes still in the waiting room without a studio feed. Why is that important?"

"She's a very sweet girl, honestly, but where Kazuki is concerned she is very possessive. If she thinks her place with him is being threatened she can be quite unreasonable, and he usually bears the brunt of her anger."

" I see." Mina says in an understanding tone. " So shes protective of what she sees as her place."

Smiling weakly, Kuriko answers," Thats putting it mildly. Sweet as she is she has got quite the temper. If it were just me, I wouldn't have a problem, but Kazuki would also have to deal with her temper."

"You want to protect him as well, don't you?"

With a peaceful expression, Kuriko says," I do. Somewhere during the time I was trying to get his genes I found that I loved Kazuki Shikimori. I don't know when or how this happened but it did." Kuriko pauses for a second," So to answer your earlier question, yes, I want to win his heart as mush as everybody else."

With a sense of satisfaction for having gotten to the truth Mina says," This Kazuki Shikimori must be quite a young man to have gotten through the shell you seem to surround yourself with. Would you say he is the kind of man you would be attracted to normally?"

" I can't say that he is." Kuriko says with a grin. " Normally I wouldn't have given someone like Kazuki the slightest attention , nor would I have ever considered the possibility that he would turn me down in my attempts to get his genes. I mean look at me, most men find me rather attractive and thats not just me boasting."

" I can see your point." Mina replies' " I imagine most men would have jumped at the chance to provide you with a sample of their genes. Especially if it were in the usual way of exchanging genes between a man and a woman."

Blushing slightly Kuriko goes on," I tried a number of times to seduce him, thinking the same thing. Each and every time he refused me, but never in a way that was hurtful or demeaning. At one point I wondered if he possibly wasn't attracted to me but I found out that he did like the way that I looked."

Shifting in her chair Mina asked," How did you discover this? Did he tell you or did he do something that gave this away to you?"

With tears glistening in her eyes Kuriko answers," When we nearly lost him that time we had to go into his memories to find the location of his missing ashes. He had many memories of the four of us, including some memories that show that, like any man his age he had an appreciation for the feminine attributes that each of us possessed."

" You mean that he liked what he saw, huh?" Mina said with a smile.

Wiping her eyes and giving a small laugh, Kuriko said," Yeah, you could say that. While it seemed to surprise the others that he was looking it gave me a warm feeling knowing that he would remember me that way."

"I think," Mina said sitting forward in her seat," that every woman wants to be attractive in the eyes of the one that she loves. Despite their reactions I imagine that the others also shared that feeling with you."

Thinking for a moment Kuriko replies," Now that I think about it they probably did. I noticed that they starting going to greater lengths to always look their best when they were with him. Of course, I'm just as guilty as the rest of them."

Sitting back in her seat, Mina asks," I know you can't speak for the others, but what is it about Mr. Shikimori that led you to begin to love him?"

Thinking for a second Kuriko says," I can't pinpoint one single thing, it's more like a number of little things added together."

"Such as?" asks Mina.

"One is the fact that no matter what if he makes a promise he will do everything in his power to keep it." answers Kuriko." Unless there would be some harm that would be caused if he didn't break it."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." replied Mina.

Looking suddenly serious, Kuriko says," The total number of times he could use his magic was eight. Only eight times in his life. If he were to use them all he would die. Each one of us made him promise not to use all his spells because we didn't want him to die. However, a situation came up where he felt that something worse than the loss of his life would happen . So, without a second thought, he used his last two spells." Kuriko wipes tears from her eyes. Barely able to speak , her voice chocked with the sobs she was suppressing, she went on," I... watched him ...vanish. There wasn't ..._anything_... I...could do to...stop him. I thought...we had lost...him. But...he didn't leave us. His power allowed him to stay, and he stayed for us."

Curious, Mina asks," What exactly happened?"

"I...I can't talk about this right now. You'll have to ask one of the others, but don't think it will be any easier for them to tell you." Kuriko replies.

"Very well," Mina says," I understand, what else can you tell me about him?"

Still wiping her eyes, Kuriko, thinking about Kazuki, manages to give a little smile." Well," she says," he has a very kind and caring heart. In this world where everyone uses magic as a commodity to get ahead he only used his magic for the benefit of others. Never once did he use it for himself. He even used his magic for me once."

"Really," Mina said." How did he use magic for you, if I may ask?"

Thinking back, Kuriko begins to speak." Kazuki had been having nightmares about being attacked by a behemoth. They were so bad he was having trouble sleeping and not being much of a morning person in the first place he was really exhausted.. At this same time many students were hearing howls is and around the school. Seeing an opportunity I put together a search of the school to find what it was."

Taking this in Mina said," That was very commendable of you taking on the responsibility of doing this."

"It wasn't really altruistic," Kuriko said," mostly it was so I could get Kazuki alone and use him to blackmail the Doctor into working for my families company."

Surprised by Kuriko's candor, Mina says," Why the Doctor?"

Looking a bit sheepish, Kuriko replies,"I figured he was tho only one at the school that could have summoned one of the beasts and I knew that Kazuki was the only one who would have th power to banish it. I thought that if I controlled Kazuki then I would have the upper hand in negotiations."

Interested now, Mina asks,"So, what happened?"

It turned out," Kuriko said," that the Doctor didn't summon the beast he had captured it, trying to figure out a way to get rid of it. He was the one sending the dreams to Kazuki. What none of us knew was that there were two of those things at the school."  
Eyes wide, Mina says," There were two. That doesn't sound good."  
With a chuckle Kuriko goes on," It wasn't. I told Kazuki not to use his magic unless the Doctor agreed to my offer. I then tried to buy some time by facing the beasts myself. I gave them my best shot but it was no use. They had me cornered. I was so afraid. Then he was there."

Who?" Mina asked quietly

"Kazuki." Kuriko said with a faraway look in her eyes. "Because of the dreams he had been having he was terrified, yet he stood there between me and the beasts to protect me. He turned to me and told me he was sorry but he was going to use his magic. When he turned back to the beasts they charged. There was a blinding flash of light and they were gone."

Considering this Mina said," Amazing. I didn't think anyone could banish two behemoths at once. Was that when you began seeing Mr. Shikimori in a new way?"

Looking a bit shy Kuriko said," No, this wasn't the reason I began to love him, I think it was just the final revelation. The final thing that showed me the truth about the man that he is. I had seen him before, using his magic for others, be it to help them or even to make them feel better. I just never thought," Kuriko begins to bite her lower lip," that I would be important enough to him that he would do this for me. I mean, not only did he use one of his few remaining spells but he faced his darkest fears," Kuriko nearly whispers," for me."

"I see." Mina says." That would make quite an impression. How do you think the others feel about Mr. Shikimori?"

With a smile Kuriko replies," It's obvious that Yuna and Chihaya love him, but I believe that Rin Loves him as well."

"Well, then let me ask you this." Mina said," How do you think you feels about the four of you ?"  
Still smiling Kuriko responds," I honestly believe that he loves all of us. In what way I'm not sure."

"Why do you think that?" Mina asks."Did he do something that makes you think this?"

With a laugh Kuriko answers," If you consider the fact that when he became human again he created enough copies of himself to go around and then some it seems self-evident."

With a smile Mina says," Point taken. Yet now theres only one. What do you think the outcome will be?"  
With some thought, Kuriko says," If it were anyone else I would say there would be three broken hearts and one happy heart but somehow I don't think Kazuki can break our hearts. After all, he did the impossible for us, didn't he."

" The impossible?" Mina says," What do you mean?"

"When someone gets their ashes back ," Kuriko answers," they lose their memories, but he remembered. He kept all of us with him in his heart."

Finding herself somewhat impressed Mina said," I see what you mean. He sounds like a remarkable young man."

With a bright smile Kuriko says," He is a very remarkable man. To have such a heart that so many can love him is very special. Thats why I stood by him when he was a ghost. I would have done anything to have him back, even without any memories of me. I've heard this before and its still true, Kazuki is Kazuki and he always will be."

Seeing the directors signal Mina says," I see that our time is about up. I want to thank you, Miss Kazetsubaki for spending time with us today. I especially appreciate your honesty "

" I was nice to get some of this out in the open." Kuriko looks from side to side again." You're sure Yuna couldn't hear this. She's somewhat possessive."

With a chuckle Mina says," I assure you, she doesn't know what you've just said. Again, thank you." Kuriko gets up and follows a stage hand out.

Mina looks into the camera and says," We will return with our next guest after a word from our sponsor." The picture fades to black.


	3. Guest: Rin Kamishiro

"Welcome back, folks. Ha ha ha. Sorry, I just love that commercial. They're so cute. I would like to introduce my next guest, Rin Kamishiro, heir to the Kamishiro family. In case you don't know the Kamishiro family is one of the most prestigious families in Japan. Welcome to the show."

"There are no needs for pleasantries, I only came because Shikimori asked me."

"I'm sorry. I'm glad that you came, though. It wouldn't be possible to tell the complete story without you."

'That may have been what Shikimori thought, but mostly I believe he thought it would be fun to be on television."

"Are you enjoying it so far?"

"Not really. I did promise Shikimori, however, and I will not break my promise."

"I see that you are dressed in the traditional Japanese way. Are you a practitioner of Kendo?'

"It is the tradition of the Kamishiro family to do so. As heir I would be expected to do no less."

"Oh, okay. Now lets get to the main subject. You were one of the young women sent by their families to acquire Shikimori-kun as a husband, am I correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Who gave the order for you to do so?"

"The Head Family ordered me to take him as my husband."

"What did you think of this?"

"I knew nothing of Shikimori at that time so I wasn't able to form an opinion."

"Well, what did you do?"

"I looked him up in the student register."

"What did you think of what you found?"

"Have you seen his record? If you had you wouldn't have to ask."

"So you were somewhat less than impressed, huh?"

"That would be correct. I decided at that moment that rather than make him my husband I would kill him to regain my freedom."

"Isn't that a little extreme?"

"Perhaps, but from his record I surmised that he was worthless. Bad grades, no athleticism at all, low magic count. Then when I finally laid eyes on him he seemed to be cavorting with two women at the same time. I didn't know that they were future rivals."

"What exactly did you see?"

"Kuriko-san was sitting astride Shikimori while Yuna-chin was trying to pull her off. It was most disgraceful."

"Did you think that he may be a womanizer?"

"From appearances it did look that way."

" So when did you change your mind?"

"About what, exactly?"

"For starters, about him being a womanizer."

"It didn't take long to see that he wasn't that sort of man. He never initiated anything improper. Usually it was Kuriko-san grabbing onto him. I think she did it to get on Yuna-chans nerves. And perhaps mine, also."

"Did it get on your nerves?"

"Of course it did."

"Why? I mean you didn't want to take him as a husband."

"In the beginning it was just the inappropriateness of her actions that I found disturbing. Eventually it was for another reason."

"Are you saying that you ended up having feelings for Shikimori-kun?"

"Yes. Do you find that hard to believe?"

"Not hard to believe, exactly, its just that it took most of my interview with Kazetsubaki-san to get her to admit to having feelings for him, yet here you are readily admitting it. It's just surprising, thats all."

"My brother taught me that in order for one to be honorable one must be honest, not just with others but with ones self. I will admit that for a while I was less than honorable. I denied my feelings to others and to myself. It was only when it came time to return the ash that I carried in my heart that I finally admitted the truth."

"What was the truth that you admitted?"

"The truth was that my heart belonged to Kazuki Shikimori and it always would."

"You admit that freely, for the audience to hear. Why?"

"It would serve no purpose to lie, and it is not something that I am ashamed of. As I came to know him I found that he was more than worthy of my affection."

"How so? With his record and all, he didn't seem to be the type of man you would want for a husband."

"In getting to know him I discovered that he was more than what some words on a sheet of paper could ever convey. He has a kindness and gentleness about him that is hard to describe. He is very patient, more so than anyone I've ever known. On top of that there isn't a selfish bone in his body."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We all can use magic. We all use magic to achieve something we want, or to get something we desire. He never once used magic for his own good. On the contrary, he sacrificed his mortal body for the sake of one of us. Even then, his spirit stayed to be with us, for our sakes, not his. He couldn't leave us to be sad. Could anybody else be so selfless?"

"Did he ever use magic for your sake?"

Blushing, "Yes, he did."

"What were the circumstances?"

"My senpai was transferring to another school and I wanted to do something special for him. I thought that if I could make him a homemade lunch he would appreciate it and perhaps notice me."

"You had a crush on him?"

"I suppose. Anyway, I was working in the dorm kitchen , all the while Shikimori, Yuna-chan and Kuriko-san were watching through the door. Eventually they made a noise and I spotted them. At first I was angry, however I asked them for their help. You see, I'm not a very good cook."

"Uh-huh, so what happened next?"

"They agreed to help and Kuriko-san began dressing me in all sorts of unusual things. Once that was done Yuna-chan began helping me with the cooking. After many long hours we had a proper looking meal to be presented to my senpai."

"Really, then what happened?"

"I tripped."

"You tripped. Oh no, all that work. I'm sorry."

"No need to be. That's when Shikimori used his magic for me. He kept it from falling and returned it to my hands in perfect condition."

"Even though he could only use magic 8 times?"  
'By that time he could only use magic 5 times I believe."

"Why did he do that? It was only a lunch."

"Thats true, but to him it was important that something I had put so much work into not be ruined. So it really wasn't the lunch, it was me. Because it was important to me."

"So you gave your senpai the lunch. Did he like it?"

"I didn't give it to him. I gave it to Shikimori."

"Really. How did he like it."

"Well, he didn't. He said it was awful."

"Was it awful?"

"I tasted it. It was horrible. That's when the most amazing thing happened."

"What happened?"

"He ate every bite of it. It was the most vile tasting meal ever made and he finished the entire thing."

"Why do you think he did that?"

"I guess it was because I gave it to him, I don't know. All I know is that no one else would have done that for me. Even now if I give him food he'll honestly tell me how it is but he'll still eat it."

"He obviously cares a great deal for you."

"Indeed, and he has quite a stomach, also."

"That was quite a tale. Lets move on to something else. Tell us about returning his ash. How did you accomplish that?"

"By that time Kuriko-san, Yuna-chan and Chihaya-chan had all returned the ash they were carrying, or so we thought. That left only me standing between Shikimori and his regaining his humanity. However I had been told that if all his ash were returned he would forget all about us and everything up until his ash was returned. It was then that I had to be honest about my feelings."

"What do you mean, Kamishiro-san?"

"The thought of no longer being in Shikimori's heart was something I found hard to deal with. I wanted to be remembered. I wanted all of us to still be in his heart." The camera does a close-up to show the tear running down Rin's cheek. "I wanted him to remember me. I realize that was selfish, but I've never really felt like this about anyone before."

"What made you change your mind, Kamishiro-san?"

"We were walking in the woods, talking about a duel we had been involved in when..."

"A duel. What kind of duel?"

"Thats not really relevant so I don't want to go into it. As I was saying , He asked if he could borrow my katana to practice with. He felt that he hadn't been useful before and wanted to practice in case he needed to duel again when he got his body back. I let him borrow it and he began doing forward sweeps. I made up some excuse to leave, because at that point I had decided not to return his ash. I know it was wrong, but at that moment I would rather have been remembered by the ghost than forgotten by the man. Eventually Yuna-chan and Kuriko-san came upon him doing sweeps. They asked what he was doing and he told them that he promised to practice until I returned. For some reason or other Yuna-chan came looking for me. When she found me I told her to tell him that I had to leave on important business. I meant never to see him again. My heart couldn't take seeing him as a ghost because I was so selfish to want to be remembered."

"So what happened?"

"I couldn't stay away. I had to see him just one last time. Everyone else was looking for me because he wouldn't stop. Once he makes a promise he will follow it through, no matter the consequences to himself. I thought he would stop once his hands began to hurt but he just kept going, ignoring the pain and fatigue. Finally I stepped out and he saw me. Then he collapsed. I rushed to him, cradling his head in my lap. He looked up and smiled, saying he had kept his promise now I had to keep mine. I agreed and asked what he wanted. He wanted to see me smile. He was bothered by the fact I had seemed sad and he just wanted to see me smile. At that moment our hearts opened to each other and his ash returned."

"He didn't forget, though, did he."

"No, he didn't, but that was the beginning of another ordeal."

"Would you care to talk about that, Kamishiro-san?"

"That was when we nearly lost him. I...I'd really rather not talk about that."

"I see. Well, we're about out of time anyway so let me thank you again for coming and for being so open and honest."

"Kazuki asked me to come so I came. To have been less than honest would have brought shame to my family." Rin gets up and leaves the picture.

"We'll be back with another guest after these messages." fade to black.


	4. Backstage

After leaving the stage, Rin travels down the hall towards the after-interview waiting room. Just before she gets there she sees Kuriko stepping out of the door.

"I didn't think," Kuriko says," that you would be able to say those things on television. And so easily, too."

Rin replies," It was nothing but the truth. Besides, it has been becoming more difficult to carry this secret around inside of me."

'I know what you mean," says Kuriko," I think that may be the hardest part of caring for Kazuki. Of course, we really don't want Yuna to find out, do we?"

Thinking about this for a moment Rin says," I think deep down she knows. Remember in the beginning she wasn't quite so possessive. Now she can't let him out of her sight. I believe that she knows how we all feel and that has made her feel insecure."

"I suppose that's possible. How do you think Kazuki feels?"

"I don't know for sure," Rin says," but I believe he has feelings for all of us. I mean, he puts up with Yuna's jealously, he allows you to grab and grope him to your hearts content."

"True," Kuriko says," and he eats all the food you put in front of him, no matter how bad."

"There's no denying it, " Rin says," he has some kind of affection for us all."

Kuriko, standing with her hands behind her back says," Still, someday he will have to choose, want he? When he does, who do you think it will be?"

Eyes downcast, Rin says, " I don't know, but I don't think it's something that we need worry about just yet. I believe that at this time he feels pretty much the same for all of us. Besides, it's not something I want to dwell on. I just want to enjoy it while it lasts."

"I see your point," Kuriko says," I want to enjoy it as well. I also want to say that if it weren't for Kazuki I would never have thought of you as a friend, but now I can honestly say that you are one of the best friends that I've ever had. I don't want to lose you or Yuna either one."

Rin smiles and says," I feel the same way. Perhaps we should just dump Shikimori, the three of us."

With a surprised look on her face Kuriko says," You've got to be kidding!"

"I am. Gottcha!" Rin smiles, then she and Kuriko go into the waiting room to wait for the others.


End file.
